1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to determining methods for determining whether ink was ejected or not, computer-readable media, and printing apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Inkjet printers that emit light onto a print pattern formed by ejecting ink from each of a plurality of nozzles and that determine whether or not ink has been ejected based on the reflected light are known as printing apparatuses that use the reflected light, among the light emitted toward a print medium, to determine whether or not ink has been ejected from ink ejecting sections. Such inkjet printers are provided with an optical sensor having a light-emitting section and a light-receiving section, and emit light from the light-emitting section toward print blocks, each of which having been formed corresponding to a nozzle, and based on the output of the light-receiving section that receives the light that is reflected, determines whether or not ink was ejected.
The threshold value that serves as the criterion for determination is, for example, set to a value between an output value of the light-receiving section when light is irradiated onto a print medium on which nothing has been printed and an output value of the light-receiving section when light is not emitted.
However, the output of the light-receiving section is affected, for example, by the color of the ink that is used to print on the print medium, and the material and the coloring of the print medium. That is, for example, the light reflected by a print block that has been formed by black ink and the light reflected by a print block that has been formed by yellow ink result in different output values from the light-receiving section, and likewise, the output values of the light-receiving section with respect to light that has been reflected by print media having different coloring are different. Thus, with conventional threshold values, which are set to a value between the output value of the light-reviving section when light is irradiated on a print medium on which nothing has been printed and the output value of the light-receiving section when light is not irradiated, there is the problem that an error in detection may occur.